Genisys Sequel Said To Be “Re-Adjusting”

Made on an apparent production budget of $155 million, the high-profile “Terminator: Genisys” made enough money that the idea of a sequel can’t be dismissed out of hand. The issue is rather one of how it made its money – the film grossed a disastrous $90 million in the U.S. this summer, but raked in a further and impressive $350 million overseas.

Skydance Productions had ambitious plans for a new trilogy and TV spin-off for the series, plans that seemed to fall by the wayside after the domestic failure and have since been picked up again for consideration after the overseas success. Even so, it looks like the company realises that even if they intend to pursue a sequel – be it on the big or small screen – some big changes will be required.

Skydance CCO Dana Goldberg appeared at TheWrap’s 6th Annual Media Leadership Conference this week and talked about the performance of ‘Genisys’ and reports of the franchise being put on hold. Her response is one of well crafted spin:

“We’re ultimately happy with overall worldwide numbers. Do I wish we would have done better domestically? Absolutely. Happily, we live in the world where the domestic number had a level of importance 10 or 15 years ago – I’m not saying it’s not important, it is – but we have to play to a worldwide market. In terms of ‘Terminator,’ the worldwide market paid attention, but we’re not taking the domestic number lightly.

Do we intend to have a next step of Terminator? Yes, we do…I wouldn’t say on hold, so much as re-adjusting. At Skydance, when we talk movies, we talk universes, even more than franchises. So the idea of a ‘Terminator’ TV show fits into that universe. All the steps have to be taken in unison.

[We’re assembling] data and research to do a worldwide study and really talk to audiences about what they loved, and what maybe didn’t work for them, so that the next we take with the franchise is the right one. We are not going to begin production at the beginning of next year, because again, it would be silly to not have to worry about what audiences have to say.”

That means if a new “Terminator” hits the big screen in the near future, it will potentially be 2018 at the earliest.